The Candle
by neb88
Summary: Cinna's point of view from when he made Katniss' mockingjay dress to his death. Written for The Rebels Holiday Secret Fic Exchange.
1. The Dress

**Written for The Rebels Holiday Fic Exchange**

**Also there are direct quotes taken from Catching Fire**

**The story will also be split up into 5 parts**

I looked at the dress and felt a little smirk come to my face. With my tiny undetectable adjustments to the dress, I had made it even more beautiful in a way that no one would know until the interviews. The beautiful pearl white silk, the low neckline, the beautifully long sleeves made it a dress that every woman would dream of wearing to their wedding.

To top it all of it was covered in glossy white pearls from head to toe. Of course I had added a few. They were necessary for my plan to unfold, however, if anything they made the dress look even more outstanding.

It was hard to deny that I was the best designer in Panem. I mean when I look at all the beautiful outfits I make, I can understand why people are constantly praising me on my work.

Suddenly I hear a small creak as the door opens. I turn around to see Portia come in holding a garment bag.

"Are you ready to go?" She asks quietly.

"Not quite. I just need to put Katniss' dress into the garment bag." I reply. She nods and comes over to help me. I head over to the table to grab the garment bag lying on top of it. I quickly unzip it and bring it over to where the dress is. Portia and I carefully lift it up

"Has it always been this heavy?" She asks. I can see that she wasn't expecting the dress to weigh so much. I just give her a curt nod. She then lets out a little laugh. "I'm on to you Cinna, I know you're hiding something and I plan to figure it out! So are you going to tell me what you did to the dress?" She asked once again.

"Alright you caught me." I said in defeat as I heaved the dress into the bag. "However it's going to be a surprise for the interview." I said with a little smirk on my face as I zipped up the bag.

Portia frowned. "Are you sure it was a good idea to tamper with the dress that the President specifically asked for?" She said in a very concerned tone.

I shrug. "Probably not, but I channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself."

She looked at me with a very worried expression on her face. "Don't worry, it'll be fine." I said reassuringly. She still looked doubtful but she nodded. I picked up the dress that was now inside the garment bag and heaved it over my shoulder. With that we both made our way outside of my studio.

I turned around and began to lock the house when I remembered something. I turned around to look at her. "Portia?" I asked.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you would let me talk with Peeta before his prep team goes to work on him. There's something I need to tell him."

"Would this in any way have anything to do with the 'modifications' you made to Katniss' dress?" She asked me, still doubtful.

"Can I talk to Peeta" I repeated myself looking right into her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I just asked you a question and I would very much appreciate an answer." She said, obviously aggravated by my response.

"Portia I just need to talk to Peeta." I said getting a little irritated myself.

"Cinna I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt because of something I could possibly stop."

"Portia can I just talk…."

This pushed her over the edge. "Fine, go see Peeta! I don't give a damn! I don't care about your stupid dress anymore. It could get you killed for all I care!" She practically screamed at me before she began walking away.

I felt a little pang of guilt. I had completely left her out of this plan. We had planned all our other outfits together and made them all incredibly amazing together, so I could understand her frustration. I had just kept something from her while she told me all her secrets. But this secret could be dangerous to all those whom it involved.


	2. The Boy With the Bread

I hurried down the hall as I made my way to Peeta's room. I quietly opened the door to see his prep team working away on him. Well more in the form of things like examining him and making sure his hair was perfect. It seemed like they didn't have anything to do while they waited for Portia to get here. I had no idea where she had wandered off too.

When I entered, they all turned to look at me. Elsora, I guess you could say she was the leader of Peeta's prep team, scurried over to me in her extra-large fitted pink jumpsuit. Her two little braided pigtails bobbed up and down as she scurried over.

"Oh Cinna! Portia has not yet arrived with Peeta's outfit and we have no more work left to do on him!" She said, very frazzled and worried about what was going to happen. She needed everything to be on a strict schedule or else she got very distressed. She was a little like Effie except Elsora was much larger.

"Alright you're dismissed. I will talk to Peeta about what to do until Portia arrives." All three of them nodded they all scurried out the door except for Elsora. She turned around and went over to Peeta.

"Peeta." She said clearly getting chocked up." Farewell, I wish you the best of luck in the games." She said before running out of the room crying. I saw Peeta's eyes begin to get a little watery.

Don't want to ruin your, makeup do you?" I said as I pulled out a little handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to him.

"No I don't need it." He said though it was plain to see he was about to start crying. Stubborn kid.

I walked over to him. "Peeta there is something I need to tell you." He simply looked at me and nodded. "I have done a few, small, changes to Katniss' wedding dress. It won't look any different when you first see it but that doesn't matter. I'm doing something that I could end up regretting but I need you to help me out. All I can do is light that candle. I need you to keep the flame burning bright while we have the chance."

He looked a little confused but I knew he understood what to do. "So this will be during the interviews?" He asked.

"Yes right after Katniss is done. And you'll know what type of subject to bring up. I'm sure you already know along the lines of what I'm talking about." I looked into his eyes and saw that he was already thinking up a plan that would completely put my dress to shame. But I was only the one with the matches. All I had to do was get it started.

"All right, is that it?" He asked me. I simply nodded.

"Hopefully Portia will make it soon." I said suddenly very worried about what had happened to her but I quickly pushed it out of my mind. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about her. She would be safe from the possible back-lash of my mischief.

I gave Peeta a curt nod as I walked out the door. He in no way returned that gesture. But that was fine. I could see he was thinking. Thinking about the mischief he could cause for the Capitol.


	3. The Mockingjay

I open the door to Katniss' room to see that Venia is the only one still there and she looks like she was about to burst into tears. She looks up at me and I nod. She says something to Katniss that I cannot hear before quickly going out of the room. I begin to walk over to her before she finally pops the question.

"So what am I wearing tonight?" She asks as she looks at the big bag that is still over my shoulder.

"President Snow put in the dress order himself." I say. I unzip the bag revealing the beautiful wedding dress. Her face is mixed with many emotions but mostly shock. "Even though they announced the Quarter Quell the night of the photo shoot, people still voted for their favorites and this was the winner. The president says you're to wear it tonight. Our objections were ignored."

She grabs a piece of silk and begins to rub it between her fingers. I'm sure she's puzzled as to why Snow was forcing her to wear the dress. I was just as puzzled but I figured it was just to torment her. Think of the irony of it. He thought that her wedding dress was going to be her death dress.

Finally she stops rubbing it. "Well, it'd be a shame to waste such a pretty dress." Is all she says.

I help her get into the gown. I hope she won't notice the extra weight but I'm sure she will.

"Was it always this heavy?" Great. I instantly begin to recite the explanation that I had come up with.

"I had to make some slight alterations because of the lighting." I explain. I know it makes no sense but I know she trusts me.

I help her into her shoes and then put on her jewelry, then as the finishing touch; the veil.

"You're ravishing." I say "Now Katniss, because this bodice is so fitted, I don't want you raising your arms above your head. Well, not until you twirl, anyway."

"Will I be twirling again?" She asks.

"I'm sure Caesar will ask you. And if he doesn't, you suggest it yourself. Only not right away. Save it for your big finale." I tell her. The way I say it makes it seem like she's simply twirling for the crowd when really it's for something much greater.

"You give me the signal so I know when."

"All right. Any plans for your interview? I know Haymitch left you two to your own devices." I say.

"No, this year I'm just winging it. The funny thing is that I'm not nervous at all." I actually believe her. If she plays it right the whole Capitol will be putty in her hands.

We begin to make our way to the elevator where we meet up with everyone else. I look over at Portia. She looks over at me. It almost seemed like she was trying to strangle me with her eyes. I quickly looked away.

We make our way to the interviews and we all separate. Peeta and Katniss are hauled off with the other victors while Haymitch just vanished and Effie went to talk with her Capitol friends. Usually Portia would be with me but she was still mad at me. I pushed through all the capitol citizens and made my way to my seat which was quite close to the front.

As soon as I sat down they gave the signal that everyone needed to be seated because the interviews were about to start. It takes a while but everyone manages to get to their seat in time I look at the empty seat beside me where Portia should be but I just push that thought out of the way. I needed to focus my attention on the interviews. Katniss had to do this right.

Caesar came out and talked to the audience for a while. His color theme was lavender. I would've chosen a different one for this specific Quell but I wasn't in any position to say that.

Everyone's interview flew by. However they left a pang in everyone. Each tribute talked about the Quell and how it should be changed.

Eventually it's Katniss' turn. Half of the audience is crying. It really was horrible. The capitol had grown up with some of these tributes and grown to love them so much. No one wanted to lose any of them.

Katniss took her seat beside Caesar and the interview began. "So, Katniss, obviously this is a very emotional night for everyone. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Only that I'm sorry that you won't get to be at my wedding… but I'm glad you at least got to see me in my dress. Isn't it just… the most beautiful thing?"

I didn't even need to signal her. She knew that it was the perfect time. She gets up from her seat and begins to raise her hands above her head and begin to twirl.

That's when it begins. That one movement set it off. Soon the dress seems to be engulfed with flames and smoke but she keeps on twirling. Then the pearls start to fall off just as planned. I hear the screams and gasps from the audience. I can tell there are a few people looking at me but I focus my eyes on Peeta. He looks right back at me and nods.

There were pieces of her silk dress floating through the air as she slowly begins to stop. She looks a little confused until she looks at her now black feathered dress. She looks at it confused. And then, almost as if I had told her to do it, she raised her wings to show her beautiful new wings. I had just created a mockingjay.


	4. The Flame

The whole audience is stunned. They don't know what to say. Caeser speaks for them. "Feathers. You're like a bird."

"A mockingjay I think" She said as she flapped her wings a little. "It's the bird on the pin that I wear as a token." I can tell by Caesars face that he knows that the mockingjay symbols more than a simple token.

"Well hats off to your stylist. I don't think anyone can argue that that's the most spectacular thing we've ever seen in an interview. Cinna, I think you better take a bow!" He gestures for me to rise and I do so. I make a small gracious bow and sit back down. Katniss looks at me with fear in her eyes but she quickly shoves it away.

Suddenly the audience breaks out into a monstrous applause, some of them perhaps simply because of the beauty of the dress, others because perhaps they know that a rebellion is forming.

Eventually the buzzer goes while the audience is still applauding. Katniss went back as Peeta began to make his way over to his interview. I hoped he understood what I meant. He had to keep the flame of rebellion burning.

Peeta and Caesar begin with some small talk before the wedding is brought up…

"…. one minute I'm seeing Katniss looking so beautiful in these wedding gowns, and the next…" He said trailing off. Caesar finished it for him.

"You realized there was never going to be a wedding?" He asked. Peeta paused for a moment before looking back up at Caesar.

"Caesar, do you think all our friends here can keep a secret." There are a few laughs coming from the audience at that.

"I feel quite certain of it." Caesar replies.

"Well, we're already married." Peeta said quietly.

I was just as taken aback and stunned as much as the rest of the audience, except mine was more from a different shock then the rest of them. He was keeping the candle burning.

"But… how could that be?" Caesar asked him?

Peeta begins to tell Caesar about how in district 12, when couples get married they do this thing called a toasting. How they did it secretly from everyone because they wouldn't feel officially married if they hadn't done that tradition. And how that it was nice that they got to be married for a while before the Quell and have a few months of happiness together.

"I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together." Caesar says.

This brings the audience to an enormous applause. Katniss finally looks up from her dress which she had buried her head in for most of Peeta's interview.

Finally Peeta once again speaks up. "I'm not glad. I wish we could've waited until the whole thing was officially done."

"Surely even a brief time is better than no time?" Caesar replies a little confused by Peeta's statement. Even I didn't know where he was going with this.

"Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar." He says bitterly. "If it wasn't for the baby."

He's done it! He has let the flame of the candle burn so bright, there was no way anyone could stop it from burning now!

The crowd is filled with so many different emotions. Rage, sadness, cruelty towards the games, Peeta got them all to feel a moment, probably more of sympathy for the tributes and hatred towards the capitol.

People are getting up and screaming. I'm just getting pushed around by the wave of people. They turn up the anthem to a deafening loudness and I can still barely hear it. Eventually all the tributes rise and then the most touching, rebellious thing happens. They all begin to hold hands. All the tributes are hand in hand. Only for a moment before everything goes black. But everyone saw it. There was no way that it could've been missed.

I stumble through the crowd. I even thought I heard my name a few times. Eventually I make it to an opening on the streets. I have no idea where I was pushed to so I simply signal a cab and ask him to take me back to my room. He doesn't say anything else as he knows who I am. He quickly speeds through the traffic until I find myself back in my warm bed.

I just let the sheets engulf me as I try not to think about the games that will begin tomorrow and what I did at the interviews and its consequences and how it will affect others. I simply drift off to sleep and leave my worries behind.


	5. The Stylist

I wake up and yawn and quickly get ready to fetch Katniss. I arrive at the same time as Portia but I guess we're still made at each other so we ignore each other's gaze.

I go over to Katniss' door and simply go in. We both knew that she and Peeta would be in there together. They rouse and understand that it's time for them to go. Peeta gives Katniss a kiss, whispers something to her and then leaves with Portia.

Katniss has to stay behind with me. All the tributes have to enter the arena separately.

We begin to make our way to the roof of the trainer center when Katniss speaks up.

"I didn't say good-bye to Portia"

"I'll tell her" I say in a way so I cover up the recent feelings I've had towards her lately.

We make it to the roof where the hover craft is waiting. We grab on to the ladder where we are frozen in place while we are brought up into the hovercraft. As soon as we're inside, a doctor comes over and injects Katniss with the tracker.

We sit around and wait until we reach the arena. I try to force her to eat and drink as much water as possible. Eventually I get her to drink some water after a long time of convincing.

Eventually we get to the launch room at the arena. She took a quick shower and then I helped her braid her hair. We open up the package with the tribute outfit inside. It's a fitted blue jumpsuit, made of a very sheer material with the zipper in the front, a 6 inch wide padded belt covered in shiny purple plastic and a pair of nylon shoes with rubber soles.

"What do you think?" She asks.

I pick up the jumpsuit to look at it more closely. I frown as I rub the material between my fingers.

"I don't know. It will offer little in the way of protection from cold or water."

"Sun?" She asks.

"Possibly. If it's been treated." I help her get into her outfit. "Oh, I almost forgot this. I take out the mockingjay pin from my pocket and place it on her jumpsuit.

"My dress was fantastic last night." She says. I can tell that she's worried for me.

"I thought you might like it" I say with a small smile.

We sit down in silence and wait until the speakers say that it's time for launch. We walk over to the launch pad were Katniss step on. I zip up her jumpsuit securely.

"Remember, girl on fire, I'm betting on you." I say as I kiss her on the forehead. I step back as I watch the glass cylinder separate me from her. I wait for her to be raised into the arena but she never does.

Katniss looks at me, confused. I simply shrug as I have no idea what's going on either. Suddenly I hear the slam of a door slam open behind me. Three peacekeepers come charging out at me. I look at Katniss' terrified expression as the two guards pin me down while the other is on top of me. I can't see Katniss anymore. The one on top starts whacking me with a rod. I begin to feel lightheaded. Eventually he gives me that one fatal hit right in the temple. That's when I blacked out. Now it was up to my mockingjay to keep the candle burning.

**I would really appreciate feedback since this was my first story and I would love to know what everyone who reads this thought.**

**Huge thanks to Europa22 who betaed this for me!**

**Thanks a bunch! ^_^**


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